Now picture your local farmers market! Have you ever been to a farmers market? Why on earth would anybody want to set aside an hour of some random day of the week to go out of their way to pay for less attractive (not being waxed) produce that they can find at Whole Foods or Albertsons?
Fair enough. So is buying local even that practical? Very much so as a matter of fact! When one lives in a specific area they are then exposed to all of the pollens and the bacteria that are in the air. Lucky we have immune systems! Guess what, every living thing also has an immune system, including plants that are sown and have to battle the harsh elements. These food plants have essentially had to fight off the same types of bacteria that plague our systems on a daily basis, therefore giving us a strong and fit product which will strengthen our systems making us less susceptible to the pollens in the air and taking a shot at the seasonal allergies that so many of us deal with.
Let's also take into account the more sincere connection of buyer and seller. There is a certain level of trust and integrity that is present here when you receive your lettuce from somebody who raised that lettuce and cared for it with it's own two hands and without any pesticides. They can answer your questions about what you are buying way better than the employees at Whole Foods. Aren't we all Organic forms of life in the first place? If we are then I find it a likely story that so many of us often take for granted the process of how our food is grown and exactly what it took in order for it to get to us in the first place. It is wholesome and nutritious food which is essential to our physical livelihood and on the flipside of that it is other humans and relationships which is essential to our mental and emotional livelihood. These two elements which go into buying food at your local farmers market are seemingly left out when we browse lifeless aisles of a grocery store and load items onto a conveyer belt.
How about supporting small business? Yeah I know that last question sounds a tad bit cliche, but why should we even consider the livelihood of those who run their own small businesses. Well, you can best be certain that those people who make up at 4am to drive several hours and set up for a bustling market multiple times a week are doing it because they want to. Don't tell me that it is an individuals dream to work the produce department at Costco! They have a desire to share what they have created with those in their community you can best believe. They have brought life through their practice and they seek to improve the lives of us through pure and genuine foods. It is also incredibly important to understand that each and every one of us votes with our dollars. When we go to run of the mill grocery stores and buy out of season GMO laden potatoes we are directly supporting giant agri-business and biotechnology companies whose bottom line couldn't be further from giving you a wholesome product. These are the companies which receive very large tax breaks from our government, and the ironic part is that if we eat these products for a prolonged amount of time we will in turn be more dependent on our government for the ever rising costs of health care. It is true that our civilization was built on those who worked bare hands and brought up our country from nothing. There is no older occupation than farming, however this is in the works of being eradicated by big business. The great thing is that if we choose to even buy a small percentage of our food from local farmers markets then we can preserve traditional agriculture and know that what we are doing is mutually beneficial for both parties.
How about supporting small business? Yeah I know that last question sounds a tad bit cliche, but why should we even consider the livelihood of those who run their own small businesses. Well, you can best be certain that those people who make up at 4am to drive several hours and set up for a bustling market multiple times a week are doing it because they want to. Don't tell me that it is an individuals dream to work the produce department at Costco! They have a desire to share what they have created with those in their community you can best believe. They have brought life through their practice and they seek to improve the lives of us through pure and genuine foods. It is also incredibly important to understand that each and every one of us votes with our dollars. When we go to run of the mill grocery stores and buy out of season GMO laden potatoes we are directly supporting giant agri-business and biotechnology companies whose bottom line couldn't be further from giving you a wholesome product. These are the companies which receive very large tax breaks from our government, and the ironic part is that if we eat these products for a prolonged amount of time we will in turn be more dependent on our government for the ever rising costs of health care. It is true that our civilization was built on those who worked bare hands and brought up our country from nothing. There is no older occupation than farming, however this is in the works of being eradicated by big business. The great thing is that if we choose to even buy a small percentage of our food from local farmers markets then we can preserve traditional agriculture and know that what we are doing is mutually beneficial for both parties.
